Johk liddeed



Patented Nov- 7,1871.

' V JOHN LIDDERD. Improvement in Railway Chairs. 120,753. I

UNITED STATE JOHN LIDDERD, OF MANCHESTER, GREAT BRITAIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,753, dated November7, 1871.

Be it known that I, JOHN LIDDERD, of Manchester, in the county ofLancaster, Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certainImprovements in the Construction of Railway Chairs, of which thefollowing is a specification:

My invention is designed for the purpose of so constructing a railwaychair that it can be readily adapted to the metals it is designed tosupport and gripe, and also, by its peculiar construction, enabling itfirmly to maintain its hold upon the rails or metals without the use ofwooden wedges, as ordinarily employed. The improvements consist inconstructing the jaws composing the chair in, two parts and joining.them together underneath the rails or metals, the peculiar couplingtogether of the two jaws or parts of the chair being the feature of theinvention.

I will proceed to describe the same. The arran gement of the chairaccording to my improved construction is made in two parts, each ofwhich contains one jaw. The portion of the chair containing the outerjaw is provided with a baseplate that projects underneath the rail ormetal a distance that enables it to support the inner jaw. The saidinner jaw for this purpose is constructed with a dovetail-formed base,that will admit of its sliding within a dovetailed groove formed in theupper surface of the projecting base-plate of the outer jaw. This saidinner jaw, when fully forced up in its groove against the rail, isfirmly secured there by means of a metal key or wedge that is forced upand through a wedge-formed hole in part of the base of the chair,corresponding to the position the sliding jaw thereof will assume whenthe face of the same is in contact with the rail, sufficient clearanceorback-lash being provided in the said hole that will admit of the jawsbeing firmly brought together into contact with the rail as the wedgedkey is driven home, the whole being firmly secured by progs or nails tothe sleeper.

In order that the invention may be better understood and explained indetail, I have hereunto attached a drawing, similar letters of referencebeing marked upon corresponding parts on all the figures alike.

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the improved chair, and Fig. 2represents a side elevation thereof.

In these figures, a a is the metal or rail. I) is the outer jaw,provided with a projecting base plate in which there is constructed adovetailed sliding groove, 0. This groove is provided for the purpose ofreceiving the dovetail-shaped base of the inner jaw d, which, whenforced up into its position in such groove against the rail or metal, issecured in the same by means of the wedge or collar 6, the whole in thisposition being secured to the sleeper f by the usual progs or nails. Thebearing of the rail upon the upper portion of the jaws, as shown in thedrawing, prevents indentation to the lower surface thereof, allowing, bythis arrangement, the rail or metal to be reversed.

Having now described the nature of my said invention, together with themethod of carrying the same into practical effect, I would wish it to bedistinctly understood, in conclusion, that I claim The novel andpeculiar construction and arrangement of railway chair shown anddescribed, together with its peculiar adaptation to railway metals orrails for steadying and supporting the same, substantially in the mannerhereinbefore described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the drawingattached.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses this 14th day of June, A. D. 1871.

JOHN LIDDERD.

Witnesses:

THOMAS WRIGLEY,

WM. 110mm. (120)

